This invention relates to a method and apparatus for charging material to a gas generator by means of a cell feeder to prevent gas from backing up from the gas generator through the cell feeder during the charging step.
It is known to feed material to gas generators by means of cell feeders. The material is fed to the gas generators by introducing the material to the cell-like compartments of the feeder from above, through an inlet opening and by causing said material to be discharged from the compartments as they pass an outlet opening.
With gas generators which operate at an overpressure, the empty feeding cells of the prior art are filled with gas which backs up from the generator and is passed to the infeed opening of the feeding cells and out thereof simultaneously as the material is charged to the cell. The outflowing non-combusted gas in addition to representing a gas loss can also cause explosions and is poisonous.
In copending application Ser. No. 367,097 there is disclosed a cell feeder of the segment type for preventing the backflow of gas therethrough from a gas generator. The cell feeder of the aforementioned copending application includes a cylindrical housing having upper and lower end walls, an inlet opening formed in the upper end wall and an outlet opening formed in the lower end wall, means for compressing material received within the housing including two segment means independently movable in the housing and adapted to close the openings, each of the segment means being shaped in the form of a cylinder sector and rotatably mounted about a common shaft, and means for driving each of the segment means whereby material received within the housing will be compressed prior to unblocking of the outlet opening thereby preventing the backflow of gas therethrough from the gas generator.